Ira Sharkansky

Ira Sharansky

Ira Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science and public administration at Hebrew University.

His books, which are available on Amazon, include:

*Alternative federal solutions to the problem of the administered territories
*Ambiguity, Coping, and Governance: Israeli Experiences in Politics, Religion, and Policymaking
*Ancient and Modern Israel: An Exploration of Political Parallels
*Coping with Terror: An Israeli Perspective
* Governing Israel: Chosen People, Promised Land and Prophetic Tradition
*Governing Jerusalem: Again on the World’s Agenda
* Israel and its Bible: A Political Analysis
* Maligned States: policy accomplishments, problems and opportunities
* Policy Analysis in Political Science
* Policy and Politics in American Governments
* Policy Making in Israel: Routines for Simple Problems and Coping with the Complex
* Politics and Planning in the Holy City
* Politics and Policymaking in Search of Simplicity
* Public Administration: Agencies, Policies, and Politics
* Public Administration Policy Making in Government Agencies
* Public Administration (2nd Edition): Policy Making in Government Agencies
* Regionalism in American Politics
* Rituals of Conflict: Religion, Politics, and Public Policy in Israel
* Spending in the American States
* The Policy Predicament: Making and Implementing Public Policy
* The Political Economy of Israel
* The Politics of Religion and the Religion of Politics
*The Politics of Taxing and Spending
* The Routines of Politics
* The United States: A Study of a Developing Country
* The United States Revisited: A Study of a Still Developing Country
* Urban Politics and Public Policy [Robert Lineberry]
* What Makes Israel Tick: How Domestic Policy-Makers Cope with Restraints
* Wither the State: Politics and Public Enterprise in Three Countries

Israeli committees studying Iran and universal military service

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Two committees are competing for Israel’s media space. Both are dealing with items that have been near the top of the agenda for some time. And consistent with their long play without solution, the clear tendency of commentary about both is pessimistic. One is dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. Without trying to […]

Israeli committees studying Iran and universal military service Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Worldwide migrations correlate with economic opportunity

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Among the comments heard in connection with the imploding of the Greek economy and politics is the prospect that emigration will increase. With unemployment estimated at above 50 percent among young Greeks, and a long history of exporting surplus population, the outflow appears to be a natural response to economic

Worldwide migrations correlate with economic opportunity Read More »

International, Ira Sharkansky

Obama’s support for same-sex marriages ripples through Israel

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The country once riled (and still so in some localities) on the subject of alcohol and which has pursued a war against drugs since the 1970s is now beginning a presidential campaign with same-sex marriages as a central issue. Its difficult to decide between ridicule and laughter, sadness and tears

Obama’s support for same-sex marriages ripples through Israel Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Netanyahu feels sting of right-wing and religious opponents in Likud

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Benyamin Netanyahu is sitting pretty with Israeli voters. Recent polls make him a sure bet to repeat as prime minister.   Not so simple is his standing within his own party. While his leadership is likely to be secure, there are enough signs of right-wing opposition to provide some worry. They

Netanyahu feels sting of right-wing and religious opponents in Likud Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Change in Middle East, like the U.S., comes incrementally

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Years ago, at the beginning of my career as a political scientist, I learned about incrementalism. That describes the gradual changes that generally occur in government. I made my contribution to the subject by examining government spending. I found that governments that spent more or less, and were more or less

Change in Middle East, like the U.S., comes incrementally Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Netanyahu seems assured to retain prime minister’s office

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israeli voters appear ready to renew the lease of Benyamin Netanyahu on the Prime Minister’s Office. A poll reported in Ha’aretz shows a near majority (48 percent) favoring him as Prime Minister. The aggregate support of his three nearest competitors do not match him: 15 percent prefer Shelli Yehemovich of Labor,

Netanyahu seems assured to retain prime minister’s office Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Neither for U.S., Israel does partisanship end at water’s edge

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — At one time, a mantra of American politics was that politics stops at the water’s edge.   Then there was Vietnam. Long before Vietnam there was considerable dispute about entering World War I. Irish immigrants were prominent among those  not wanting to risk themselves for Great Britain. When the next

Neither for U.S., Israel does partisanship end at water’s edge Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Are Israeli politicians and intelligence professionals playing ‘good cop, bad cop’ with the mullahs of Iran?

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The continued variety of comments about Iran from the governing summit of Israel says something about this country and its society. The problem: one cannot be sure what it says. Last month, the former chief of Mossad spoke publicly on Amrican media. Meir Dagan has been described as “hard-charging” and

Are Israeli politicians and intelligence professionals playing ‘good cop, bad cop’ with the mullahs of Iran? Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Expansion of Israeli settlements a response to Palestinian rejectionism

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israel’s settlement policy has returned to the headlines with a ministerial decision to convert three West Bank outposts (Rehalim, Bruchin, and Sansana) into legal settlements, and to find a solution for a neighborhood of Beit El that the Supreme Court has ruled to be illegally located on Palestinian land. Also

Expansion of Israeli settlements a response to Palestinian rejectionism Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East